Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Nicolitalia Pizzeria in Provo, Utah is steeped in Boston pride. Founded by a Boston native and dedicated to Boston-style pizza, even the menu is spelled out in Bostonian with words like “peppahs” and “lahge.”

Nic's Boston-style pizza is smaller than a New York-style pie, with a crispier crust, a little more sauce, and far superior toppings than anything I've had in NYC. When it comes to the Italian discus, Nicolitalita does not disappoint. Fourteen kinds of eye-and-mouth-dazzling pies fill the menu, each one heartier and more original than the next. The Mahgarita is the undisputed staff and customer favorite, and hearkens back to its Italian roots with fresh plum tomatoes, fresh garlic, romano cheese and basil. And the Strada di Roma has grilled chicken, artichoke hearts and spinach on mozzarella and creamy alfredo sauce.

If you’d rather “build yah own,” as the menu says, there are two crusts (thin and deep dish), three sizes (8” 12” 16”), and endless toppings to choose from, like feta cheese, teriyaki chicken, pastrami, salami, fried eggplant and buffalo chicken just to name a few. My favorite combination so far is pastrami and eggplant. Each ingredient is fresh and piled high, and the marinara sauce is hearty, not too sweet, and doesn’t get in the way of the flavor smorgasbord of the toppings.

In addition to pizza, Nicolitalia serves zacos for lunch. Imagine if a calzone and a salad had a baby. Zacos are flatbread filled with chicken, steak or meatballs, which are folded over, baked, then filled with lettuce, onions, and thick slices of tomatoes, then served with a cup of creamy Italian dressing. The smell is transcendent, and the flatbread is warm and savory, although it does have a tendency to break and spill the contents.

Cannolis are Nicolitalia’s featured dessert, but the ricotta cream inside is not sweet or creamy enough to complement the chocolate-dipped shell.

As long as you come for the pizza, you won't be disappointed. Nic's is definitely the best in Utah. It's less greasy than The Pie and there's a much better selection of ingredients. And while the quality if comparable to Pizza 712, Nic's kicks its butt in menu variety and doesn't suffer from cheeky hipness. Conclusion: There is truth to the staff’s t-shirts: “Pizza so good you’ll drop your R’s too.”

2 comments:

I was telling someone just yesterday that Nocolitalia's was arguably the best pizza place in Utah Valley. Pizza 712 is the only possible competitor, and like you said, it comes down to which atmosphere you'd prefer.

Brief typo to point out...at the very end, you missed a "so." "Pizza SO good you'll drop you R's too."

Thanks, Bryan. I have attended to that error. Yeah, Pizza 712 just tries too hard to be cool and eco-friendly. Nic's is friendly and laid back - Nick is always there with your order, too. It's just much more personable. I hear that they just remodeled, too, so I need to come eat at Nic's again!